EQUALSHOT

It’s been nearly a decade since Kerry Kennedy and Eddie Adams released their coffee table book “Speak Truth to Power.” Fifty essays about human rights defenders and the torture and harassment they have endured does not seem like a likely topic for a book you’d want anywhere near your coffee table. But there are several reasons why you may want to go out and buy it (or at least check it out of the library)...

• This is one of the most uplifting books I’ve ever read. And I’ve read it several times. Kerry Kennedy has said, “In a world where there is a common lament that there are no more heroes, too often cynicism and despair are perceived as evidence of the death of moral courage. That perception is wrong. People of great valor and heart, committed to noble purpose, with long records of personal sacrifice, walk among us in every country of the world."
  We need to re-frame the notion of “hero” in our celebrity-driven society. It is one of my work’s greatest perks to have met many of the activists featured in the book. It is true that some of them have become celebrities in their own right: Muhammad Yunus, The Dalai Lama,
  Wangari Maathai .
  But the truth is, I have felt equal vision and dogged determination in the presence of the defenders in this book who most people may not have read about too frequently. People like Bruce Harris and Samuel Kofi Woods. 

And that’s the whole point – through thoughtful consideration of the lives and innermost thoughts of people of conviction, both famous and not-so-well known, books like “Speak Truth to Power” take back the very notion of what it means to be a true hero. 

• “Speak Truth to Power “ can be read as a primer on the human rights issues and events of our time. The stuff every global citizen should be familiar with. You name it – nearly every major human rights topic is touched upon in the essays of this book: child labor, honor killings, landmines, domestic violence, FGM/FGC, economic justice, genocide, religious freedom, freedom of the press. The list goes on and on.

• Adams, the world famous photographer – perhaps best known for his 1968 photograph of a Saigon police chief shooting a Vietcong prisoner at point-blank range – traveled to over 30 countries to meet each of the activists in the book. The resulting black and white portraits speak volumes about the bravery, determination and humanity of each of the defenders. Take a look at this image of activist Kek Galabru in Cambodia or Kailash Satyarthi (with the child bonded laborers he has freed) in India to see for yourself.

• What Kerry Kennedy and Eddie Adams accomplished through their book set in place the foundation for a global movement called Speak Truth to Power  including a moving and inspirational play by esteemed Chilean writer Ariel Dorfman, a traveling photographic exhibition of Adam's portraits of the defenders, a PBS documentary film, an education packet, public service announcements, and more. Speak Truth to Power is a division of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, a non-profit 5013c organization.

• And here’s the job announcement: Speak Truth is currently seeking a new director. The deadline is August 31, 2009: http://www.nonprofitprofessionals.com/searches/rfk-pd.htm